Rule changes needed

In talking about Carey Price in the last post I touched on how the game is played and coached and why team defenses provide a much more stable environment for a goalie than they used to. One of these environmental changes is shot blocking. I thought the rule change concept Bob Gainey presented a few years ago was a great one. He suggested that skaters not be allowed to leave both feet. I am totally in favor of a rule that states if you blocked a shot by laying down on the ice it would be penalty. The equipment for skaters is so robust and protective these days that it takes the sacrifice of shot blocking to a much lower standard of courage than it used to be. Plus it is coached into the game now for that very reason, so most players are doing it to not lose their jobs, not because they are ‘heroes’.

The so called purists who want to not see any rule changes fail to realize that so many other factors have changed in and around the game that the worst thing that can be done is to not update the rules of the sport to reflect the other organic changes that have already taken place.